Roofing product including a heater

ABSTRACT

A roofing product can include a substrate and a heater. The roofing product may be placed along portions of a roof where heat can help to reduce the likelihood of water freezing into ice while along a roof. In an embodiment, the heater can be located in a headlap portion of the roofing product. A roofing product can include plurality of heaters that can provide sufficient heating should a particular heater fail. Method of fabricating the roofing product can be adapted for a fabrication line that can operate continuously.

This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Prov. App. No. 61/780,094, filed Mar. 13, 2013, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is related to U.S. Patent App. No. 61/780,220, filed Mar. 13, 2013 (Attorney Docket No. 2075-R-09509), and U.S. Patent App. No. 61/780,240 (Attorney Docket No. 2075-R-09514), both of which are entitled “Roofing Product Including a Heater” by Jenkins et al., filed concurrently herewith, and which are assigned to the current assignee hereof and incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to roofing products including heaters, and method of forming and installing such roofing products.

RELATED ART

Roofing products such as shingles and underlayment can include a heater. The heater can include a set of substantially identical resistive heater elements. With respect to the area of the roofing product occupied by the heater, the heater may be located only below a nailing portion of the underlayment. If needed or desired, a heater may be trimmed to a particular size within a fabrication or other manufacturing facility, so that the heater is sealed within the roofing underlayment. Further, the underlayment may be installed in conjunction with each course of shingles, such that the underlayment for a particular course of shingles overlaps onto a previously installed course of shingles. Further improvements of roofing products with heaters are desired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and are not limited in the accompanying figures.

FIG. 1 is a top view of an embodiment of a roofing product.

FIGS. 2-4 are schematic sectional side views of other embodiments of a roofing product.

FIGS. 5 and 6A-C are schematic top views of alternative embodiments of a roofing product.

FIGS. 7A-B include schematic top views of alternative embodiments of a heater.

FIG. 8 is a schematic isometric view of an embodiment of installed courses of roofing product.

FIG. 9 is a schematic isometric view of an embodiment of a roofing product.

FIG. 10 is a schematic isometric view of an embodiment of a heater and roofing products during installation on a roof.

FIGS. 11-13 are schematic side, plan and side views, respectively, of embodiments of roofing products.

FIG. 14 includes a schematic illustration of a fabrication line for making roofing products in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 15 includes an illustration of a side view of a roof with an embodiment of roofing product.

FIG. 16 includes a schematic illustration of a top view of portions of a roof with an embodiment of roofing products.

Skilled artisans appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description in combination with the figures is provided to assist in understanding the teachings disclosed herein. The following discussion will focus on specific implementations and embodiments of the teachings. This focus is provided to assist in describing the teachings and should not be interpreted as a limitation on the scope or applicability of the teachings.

Before addressing details of embodiments described below, some terms are defined or clarified. The term “heater” is intended to mean a heater element or a plurality of heater elements electrically coupled in parallel to one or more bus bars. Thus, a heater may refer to set of heater elements that are electrically connected along opposite ends by a pair of bus bars or may refer to a particular heater element within the set of heater elements.

The term “principal surfaces,” with respect to a roofing product, is intended to mean a pair of opposite surfaces of such roofing product, wherein one of the surfaces lies or would lie farther from a structure to which the roofing product is installed or intended to be installed, and the other surface of such roofing product lies or would lie closer to a structure to which the roofing product is installed or intended to be installed. When installed, the principal surface farther from the structure may be directly exposed to an outdoor environment, and the other principal surface may contact the structure or a different roofing product that lies between the other principal surface and the structure.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of features is not necessarily limited only to those features but may include other features not expressly listed or inherent to such method, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive-or and not to an exclusive-or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).

Also, the use of “a” or “an” is employed to describe elements and components described herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the scope of the invention. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural, or vice versa, unless it is clear that it is meant otherwise. For example, when a single item is described herein, more than one item may be used in place of a single item. Similarly, where more than one item is described herein, a single item may be substituted for that more than one item.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting. To the extent not described herein, many details regarding specific materials and processing acts are conventional and may be found in textbooks and other sources within the roofing product arts and corresponding manufacturing arts.

Roofing products as disclosed herein can allow for heaters to be placed along portions of a roof where heat can help to reduce the likelihood of water freezing into ice while along the roof. The roofing product may or may not include a self-adhesive backing. Accordingly, roofing product manufacturers have flexibility in producing roofing products for particular applications. A plurality of heaters can be used to provide sufficient heating should a particular heater fail, such as a bus bar becoming severed or a power line become disconnected from a bus bar. The other heaters can provide sufficient heat to reduce the likelihood that ice will form on the roof even if the particular heater has failed. The roofing product can be installed selectively along portions of the roof. For example, the roofing product including heaters may be installed along only an eave of a roof, and thus, save money and time by installing the roofing product where it is needed.

FIG. 1 includes an illustration of a top view of a roofing product 101 that includes a substrate 103 having a headlap 105 that is non-visible (i.e., hidden or obscured from view after installation) and an exposure zone 107 that is visible after installation. The headlap 105 is adjacent and abuts the exposure zone 107. One or more heaters 109 may be disposed on or in the headlap 105. For examples, FIGS. 2-4 include the heater 109 on top of, on a bottom of (underneath) and in, respectively, the headlap 105. In yet another embodiment, the heaters may be partly within the headlap 105.

FIGS. 5 and 6A-C depict embodiments of roofing product 101 wherein the headlap 105 comprises a fastening zone 111. The heater 109 may be located on or in the fastening zone 111. The heater 109 may have an attachment portion 113 (e.g., a non-electrical portion, such as a nail hem) in the fastener zone 111. The non-electrical portion 113 may align with a bottom or top of the headlap 105. The non-electrical portion 113 may be configured to have fasteners extend through it. The fastening zone 111 may be marked by lines 115 to delineate placement of the heater 109. The fastening zone 111 also may comprise at least one of different colored granules and different sized granules than a remainder of the headlap 105.

As shown in FIGS. 6A-6C, the attachment portion 113 may comprises a printed word, a color, a single line of pre-determined width, two or more lines providing a bordered fastening zone of pre-determined width, a marked or printed location. Other embodiments of attachment portion 113 may comprises an indicator, a filled circle, an open or filled geometric shape, a ringed bull's eye, a dot or any combination thereof.

FIGS. 7A-B illustrate embodiments of roofing product 101 that may further comprise one or more attachment portions 113 to attach the heater 109 to the headlap 105. The attachment portion 113 may be a mechanical fastener (e.g., FIG. 7A), or may be configured to receive a fastener therethrough (e.g., FIG. 7B). As shown in FIG. 8, the roofing product may be arrayed in multiple courses, such as first, second and third courses 101 a, 101 b and 101 c, respectively. Thus, the heater may be configured to be shared between two or more roofing products. Fasteners 123 may extend through a previous or subsequent course of roofing products 101 without penetrating the electrical portion of the heater 109.

Embodiments of the attachment portion 113 also may comprise webbing, mesh, scrim, netting, fabric, polymeric, other non-conductive material or any combination thereof for fastener placement. The attachment portion 113 may comprise a hook, latch, tab, fold, ledge or tongue. The attachment portion 113 may be located at a top edge of the headlap of the roofing product. Alternatively, the attachment portion 113 may be added as a separate component to the heater. Embodiments of the attachment portion 113 may comprise an alignment or positioning feature for alignment onto the roofing product.

As shown in FIG. 9, embodiments of the attachment portion 113 may have a thickness Tap, and the headlap 105 may have a thickness Th>Tap. Thickness Tap may comprise mineral matter having a smaller dimension than the mineral matter in Th. Embodiments of the thickness Tap may be enabled by a plastic film, polyester, polymer film, copolymer, metalized film or fabric or reinforced fiberglass, fiber, netting, webbing, fiberglass, or scrim. The attachment portion 113 may further comprise a self-adhering portion, which may be located on at least one of a top and a bottom of the headlap 105. The self-adhering portion may be configured to secure the heater to at least one of the roofing product and an adjacent roofing product.

Embodiments of the heater may comprise rigid or semi-rigid materials, a flexible flat panel or any combination thereof. The heater 109 may comprise a roll or wound form (FIG. 10) that can be unwound, applied and fastened with respect to one or more roofing products 101 in a horizontal row or course. In some versions, the heater may be adapted to roll over a top or a bottom of the headlap 105 and to cross a width of the headlap 105. At least one of the roofing product 101 and the heater 109 may not have a self-adhesive backing. The heater 109 may be configured to be located directly against a roof deck of a roof with or without an underlayment of any kind. Where an underlayment is used, the underlayment may comprise a fire-retardant membrane.

The roofing product can be an underlayment, a shingle, a membrane, or the like. In one embodiment, the heater 109 can have a substrate of its own, or a heater substrate. The heater substrate can provide sufficient mechanical support and withstand heating over normal operating temperatures without melting, delamination from the heater, or other adverse effect. In an embodiment, the heater substrate can be a sheet of a plastic material, for example, a polymer. The polymer may include, for example, polyester, polyamide, polyimide, polyether ether ketone, polysulfone or any combination thereof. In another embodiment, the heater substrate can include, for example, paper or a woven material, such as polymer fabric, cotton or wool fabric or any combination thereof. In an embodiment, the heater substrate can have a thickness in a range of approximately 50 microns (2 mils) to approximately 500 microns (20 mils). In a further embodiment, the heater substrate may include any one or more of the substrate materials, have any of the thicknesses, or any combination thereof, as such materials and thicknesses are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,018, U.S. Pat. No. 8,158,231, and WO 2012/139018A2, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. The heater, with or without a heater substrate, may be positioned on or in the headlap

The substrate and/or heater substrate may or may not be self-adhesive. FIG. 1 illustrates the substrate 103 that is not self-adhesive. When the substrate is not self-adhesive, mechanical fasteners, such as nails, cleats, staples, screws, or the like may be used to attach the heater substrate to a roof deck, a roofing article, or another suitable roofing object. Alternatively, a separate adhesive compound can be applied to the substrate or to a roof deck, a roofing article, or another suitable roofing object to which the substrate will be attached. In some examples where the heater is located on an underside of a roofing product headlap, the heater may have a portion that underlies an exposure zone of an overlying roofing product.

FIG. 11 includes an illustration of a roofing product 500 having a self-adhesive substrate 520. The substrate 520 that can include one or more heaters 142, 144, 162 (e.g., three shown) on a base layer 522 that can be substantially identical to substrate 103, or may have a composition or thickness different from the substrate 103. The substrate 520 can include a layer 582 of an adhesive material. When the substrate is self-adhesive, a release sheet may be used when storing and transporting the heater substrate. The adhesive material can include a silicone, a rubber, an acrylate, a bituminous adhesive, or the like. In a particular embodiment, a styrene-isoprene-styrene rubber composition can be used. In other embodiments, adhesives such as rubber resin, butyl rubber, natural rubber, acrylic, silicone or any combination thereof may be employed. The roofing product 500 further includes a release sheet 584 that can help to protect the layer 582 during storage, shipping, and handling of the roofing product 500. The release sheet 584 can be removed when attaching the heater substrate to a roofing article, such as a membrane or other underlayment, a shingle or other roofing article, or to a roofing deck.

The roofing product can include printed indicia to aid in trimming the roofing product. The printed indicia may be on the substrate 103, the base layer 522, or the release layer 584. FIG. 12 includes a bottom view of the roofing product 500 in which the printed indicia are on the release layer 584. In another embodiment, the printed indicia may be visible from the top of the roofing product. The printed indicia can include lines, alphabetic or numerical information, or a combination thereof. In an embodiment, a particular set of lines can be substantially perpendicular to each other. Another set of lines can include lines that intersect the lines of the particular set of lines. The other set of lines can intersect the particular set of lines such that angles defined by the intersections are substantially 90°, such as illustrated in FIG. 12, and in another embodiment can be a different angle, such as substantially 45°, substantially 30°, substantially 60°, or any angle between 0° and 90°. Numerical information, such as illustrated in FIG. 12, may be useful when measuring the size of roofing product before trimming the roofing product before installation.

In another embodiment, the heaters may be formed onto a roofing article without a separate heater substrate. In this embodiment, the heater substrate includes the roofing article. The roofing article can include a roofing substrate, such as fiberglass, polyester, paper, wood, another suitable roofing substrate material or any combination thereof. The roofing article, and thus, the heater substrate, may further include roofing-grade bitumen. The roofing-grade bitumen can be derived from petroleum asphalt, coal tar, recycled roofing product, processed bio oil (for example, vegetable or animal oil), another suitable bitumen source for a roofing article, or any combination thereof. In another embodiment, the roofing article can include a cementitious, ceramic, or a metal, and such roofing articles can be in the form of a tile, sheet metal, panel or another suitable form for attachment to a roof deck, lathes, or slats.

The substrate has a thickness sufficient to support the heater elements during the fabrication process and withstand normal shipping, handling, and installation of roofing products. Although there is no theoretical upper limit on the thickness of the substrate, practical considerations can limit the thickness of the substrate. In an embodiment, the thickness of the substrate can be at least approximately 0.01 mm, at least approximately 0.11 mm, at least approximately 0.3 mm, or at least approximately 1.1 mm, and in another embodiment the substrate may be no greater than approximately 9 mm, no greater than approximately 5 mm, no greater than approximately 1 mm, or no greater than approximately 0.5 mm. When the substrate includes a plastic sheet, the thickness can be in a range of approximately 0.11 mm to approximately 0.5 mm, and where the substrate includes a roofing article or a part of a roofing article, the substrate can have a thickness in a range of approximately 1 mm to approximately 5 mm.

FIG. 13 includes an illustration of a top view of a roofing product 101 having the substrate 103 and heater 142 on a headlap thereof in accordance with an embodiment. The heater 142 includes bus bars 722 that are coupled to voltage terminals (not illustrated). In a particular embodiment, the bus bars 722 are electrically connected to the voltage terminals. Resistive heater elements 742 are coupled to the bus bars 722. The resistances of the bus bars 722 are substantially lower than the resistive heater elements 742 to allow most of the heating to occur with the resistive heater elements 742, as compared to the bus bars 722. In a particular configuration, the lengths of the resistive heater elements 742 are substantially the same, the space between each of the resistive heater elements 742 are substantially equal, or a combination thereof. In another embodiment, the shapes of the resistive heater elements 742 may be different from one another. The differences in shapes can be differences in lengths, widths, thicknesses, types of shape (straight line, curved line, serpentine pattern, etc.), or any combination thereof. The composition of the components of the heaters and their formation are described in more detail later in this specification. In another embodiment, the compositions for at least two of the heater elements 742 may be different from each other. In a further embodiment, the spacings between the resistive heater elements 742 may be different from one another. The heater 142 can include any of the embodiments as described herein. After reading this specification, skilled artisans will be able to design heaters that meet the needs or desires for a particular application.

Different fabrication methods may be used to form the roofing product that includes the heater, which may in part depend on the material used for a heater substrate. In one set of embodiments, the heater can be formed onto a plastic sheet or other similar heater substrate. In another set of embodiments, the heater may be formed onto a roofing article, such as a roofing membrane or shingle, or other similar heater substrate.

FIG. 14 includes a schematic illustration of a simplified fabrication process that can be used to form roofing products that include heaters. In practice, the fabrication process may have more steps, different steps, or the like in order to make a commercial grade roofing product. The schematic illustration is directed to a process in which a heater substrate is provided in roll form. The roofing product can use a roofing article as the heater substrate, and such roofing products will be addressed after describing the fabrication process as illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 14.

The fabrication line 1200 is well suited for a continuous process flow. The line 1200 can include a roll 1222 of the heater substrate 1224. In an embodiment, the heater substrate 1224 can include a plastic or other flexible material that can get dispensed from the roll 1222. The line can further include a magazine 1242 that provides a heater 1244 onto the heater substrate 1224. A printing drum 1262 can be used to print any desired number of heater elements 1264 onto the heater substrate 1224.

In a particular embodiment, the circumference of the printing drum 1262 can correspond to the length of the roofing products being formed. In this matter, each rotation of the printing drum 1262 corresponds to a roofing product. In another embodiment, the circumference of the printing drum 1262 may correspond to an integer number of roofing products (for example, two, three, etc.) or an integer number of rotations of the printing drum 1262 may correspond to one roofing product. Alternatively, the circumference of the drum may correspond to a fractional length of a roofing product, the fraction being either greater or less than one. After reading this specification, skilled artisans will be able to determine a size of the printing drum 1262 that best meets the needs or desires for a particular application.

One or more magazines, such as magazine 1282, provide bus bars 1284 that make electrical connections between the heater elements 1264. A cutter 1292 can be used to cut the heater substrate 1224 to form individual roofing products 1294 that can be collected in a hopper 1296 or a different handling or storage container. Alternatively, the individual roofing products 1294 are collected and packaged for shipping and distribution (not illustrated). The cutter 1292 can be in the form of a sharp blade moving in a vertical direction, a transverse direction, or a combination thereof. Additional processing may be performed to form a substantially completed roofing product. The fabrication line 1200 can be modified to allow different processing.

The heater elements 1264 can be formed using stencil printing technique, such as screen printing or a deposition technique using a shadow mask. By using the printing drum 1262, the heater elements 1264 can be formed in a repetitious pattern over the heater substrate 1224 using a continuous process. The outer circumference includes a stencil mask that is to be placed adjacent to the heater substrate 1224, where openings in the stencil mask correspond to locations where the heater elements 1264 are formed. A layer is deposited over the stencil mask and the heater substrate 1224. The heater elements 1264 are formed on the heater substrate 1224 and have shapes that correspond to the openings in the stencil mask. The printing drum 1264 may be replaced by a screen printer or a raster printer. A heater or curing machine may be used to dry or cure the heater elements 1264 before the heater substrate 1224 is cut.

In another embodiment, a protective sheet could be placed over the heater elements 1264, and the bus bars 1284 before or after the heater substrate 1224 is cut by the cutter 1292. In a further embodiment, an adhesive layer and a release sheet can be applied to the heater substrate 1224 during fabrication. In still another embodiment, the roll 1222 may be supplied with the adhesive layer and release sheet attached to the heater substrate.

More complex printing may be used. A printer can programmed to selectively dispense an electrically resistive ink. In a more particular embodiment, the printer can include a printing head that can dispense an electrically resistive ink. In a particular embodiment, more than one printing head may be used. A plurality of printing heads can be useful to print a plurality of heater elements substantially simultaneously. In another embodiment, at least two different printing heads have different compositions that have different electrical resistivities. In another embodiment, the printing head can raster across the heater substrate during printing. Printing techniques are well suited for forming the heater elements because the pattern for the heater elements can be repeated, and a relatively continuous heater substrate can be used and later cut or otherwise separated into a needed or desired size.

In a further embodiment, the heater elements 1264 can be formed by coating or otherwise depositing an electrically resistive layer over the heater substrate 1224, and patterning the electrically resistive layer to define the heater elements 1264. In still another embodiment, the heater elements 1264 can be formed separately from the heater substrate 1224 and placed over the heater substrate 1224.

In another embodiment, the fabrication line 1200 may produce roofing articles, such as shingles or membranes. In this embodiment, the roll 1222 can include a material used as a base material within a roofing article, such as a fiberglass mat, paper, polyester, or the like. Other equipment and steps (not illustrated in FIG. 14) can include a bitumen coater, roofing granules application, or the like. After reading this specification, skilled artisans will appreciate that there is substantial flexibility to configure a fabrication line for a particular application to make particular types of roofing products.

The roofing products as previously described can be installed over a roof deck. The roofing products can be used for many different areas of a roof and are particularly well suited for eaves of the roof or intersections of two or more portions of a roof.

Referring to FIG. 15, the portion of the roof 1600 extends beyond an exterior wall 172 of a structure 170 having the roof 1600. Such a portion of the roof 1600 may be relatively cold, as it does not overlie the interior portion 174 of the structure 170. Further, ice may be more likely to form adjacent the eave 164, and thus, the heaters 1642 can help to increase the local temperature and reduce the likelihood that water adjacent the eave 164 will freeze. The roofing product 1620 can extend from adjacent the eave 164 and over the exterior wall 172 and a portion of the interior 174 of the structure 170. In an embodiment, the roofing product 1620 can extend at least approximately 0.2 meters beyond the exterior wall 172 and over the interior 174 of the structure 170. The need for heat farther up (higher in elevation) from the eave 164 may be less. Thus, the roofing product 1620 may extend along only a portion, and not all, of the eave 164, and therefore, the roofing product 1620 or the heaters 1642 of the roofing product 1620 may be spaced apart from the eave 164. The roofing product 1620 may have a length in a range of approximately 2 meters to approximately 5 meters, and in a particular embodiment, in a range of approximately 3 meters to approximately 4 meters. In another particular embodiment, the point may be no more than 1 meter from the exterior wall.

FIG. 16 includes an illustration of a roof 200 that includes a roofing product 206 that has a plurality of heaters. The roofing product 206 is installed over a roofing deck of the roof 200. The roofing product 206 includes heaters 2061, 2062, 2063, 2064, 2065, and 2066. The roofing product 206 can allow for a particular heater to fail while the remaining heaters can help to keep water from turning into ice while over the roof 200. The spacing between the columns of heaters along the same portion of the roof can allow for a nail zone. The dimensions of the heaters as measured in a direction from the eave 202 to the top of the roof 200 may or may not be longer than a course of shingles.

In the embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 16, some of the heaters may be replaced by a single heater that occupies more area than a heater that such a single heater replaces. Different shapes of heaters may be achieved when replacing a larger heater with smaller heaters. For example, heaters 2061, 2062, and 2064 may be replaced with L-shaped heaters. Care may need to be used to ensure nails or other fasteners are not driven through heater elements, bus bars, or other electrical components for the heaters. In another embodiment, heaters 2062 and 2064 may be replaced by heaters that lie along diagonal directions relative to the eaves. In further embodiment, more heaters than illustrated may be used. After reading this specification, skilled artisans will be able to determine the number of heaters and size for their particular application.

Embodiments of a method of installing a roof on a structure may comprise providing a roofing product having a headlap, an exposure zone and a heater located only on or in the headlap. The method may further comprise installing the roofing product adjacent an eave of the roof. Installing may be performed such that the roofing product extends from the eave to a second point which, from a top view, is over an interior of the structure. The second point may be at least approximately 0.2 meters from an exterior wall of the structure. The second point may be no more than about 1 meter from an exterior wall of the structure. The roofing product may comprise a first roofing product, and the method may further comprise installing an overlying roofing product on the first roofing product, wherein the overlying roofing product may comprise a sealant, and the heater is located above the sealant relative to the roof. The roofing product may be installed with fasteners, and the heater may be located below the fasteners relative to the roof.

Other embodiments of a method of installing a roofing product may comprise providing a roof deck, and providing roofing products, each having a heater in a headlap thereof, and the heater having first and second attachment portions. The method may comprise installing a first course of the roofing product with fasteners extending though the first attachment portion. The method also may comprise installing a second course of the roofing product on the first course with fasteners extending though the first attachment portion of the second course and the second attachment portion of the first course.

Still other embodiments of a method of installing roofing products may comprise installing a first course of the roofing products on a roof deck, each roofing product having a headlap and an exposure zone adjacent the headlap. The method may comprise installing a heater in the headlap of at least one of the roofing products of the first course; and then installing a second course of the roofing products on the first course such that the heater is located beneath the second course.

Many different aspects and embodiments are possible. Some of those aspects and embodiments are described herein. After reading this specification, skilled artisans will appreciate that those aspects and embodiments are only illustrative and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

The present disclosure relates to roofing shingles with a radiant heating element positioned in the non-visible headlap area. These shingles may be utilized on or near the lower eaves gutter edge of steep slope roofing shingles as a component of shingles in or near a valley or as a roofing valley accessory for various roofing materials such as asphalt roofing materials, tile, slate, wood, metal, polymer or other synthetic roofing material.

The radiant heating element may be supplied with DC or AC power used to provide electric current to melt ice and snow in order to prevent ice damming from occurring. Within various steep slope roofing applications or valley applications such as with or a component of an open metal valley, closed-cut valley, modified closed valley or woven valley application to prevent ice damming and water back up intrusion, as described in a roofing manufacturer's Application Instructions, by the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturer's Association (ARMA) or by the National Roofing Contractor's Association (NRCA) and/or local Building Code (see attached diagrams for roofing valley types).

The present disclosure relates to a heating element associated with the non-visible headlap portion of a roofing shingle immediately above the visible exposure zone once applied to a roof or roof array of roofing shingles as an integral component. Where typically, a heating element is applied or associated with the exposure area of a roofing shingle or applied to the deck area immediately underneath the applied roofing material.

A radiant heating element such as is produced or manufactured by Calorique located in Wareham, Mass. is an example of a useful radiant heating element.

Aspects of this disclosure relate to use of a radiant heating element of this nature or design that may be directly applied to the headlap of a roofing shingle or incorporated as part of a roofing shingle either on or to the top side of or on or to the underneath headlap area.

For example, the radiant heating element is designed to supply electric current to produce controlled heat such as low voltage as with DC or AC controlled electric current generated heat, and may also provide some measure of a moisture barrier, sound deadening, crack suppression and/or insulating feature.

Embodiments may include attachment of the heating element to the roofing shingle in the generally non-visible top side headlap location of a roofing shingle upon application to a roof deck may be by mechanical fastening through a predetermined non-electrical portion associated with the radiant heating element as a defined receptor zone for a fixed in place position or nail zone and/or as an integral part of the heating element film or material medium.

The roofing shingle designs can be of an asphalt shingle typical 3-tab or 4-tab design, laminated and architectural designs such as shingles from various manufacturers such as CertainTeed Corporation's Landmark, Carriage House or Grand Manor shingles, no-cutout shingle designs or other roofing shingle types or designs. The headlap heater may be suitable sized for any of these applications.

Embodiments may comprise an individual radiant heating element portion for each individual roofing shingle with appropriate electrical connection and/or connectors between radiant heating elements and roofing shingles with associated wiring and proper grounding from the roof array to a controller per National Electric Code (NEC) standards for safety of operation and that can be adjusted or set by the installer or homeowner for local conditions.

Embodiments of a radiant heating element can cover two or more roofing shingles to minimize and be more efficient with less electrical connections. The radiant heating element can be a rigid or semi rigid or flexible flat like panel. The radiant heating element may come in a roll or wound form that can be unwound, applied and fastened over one or more roofing shingles in a horizontal row or course. Mechanical fasteners can be used for attachment may be corrosion resistant nails, staples, screws, rivets, and the like.

In some embodiments, the nail zone or receptor zone in a non-electrical portion of the heating element may also be accomplished by adding a separate secondary attachment with a feature such as webbing, mesh, fabric, polymeric or other non-conductive material for fastener placement.

For example, the nail zone or receptor zone in a non-electrical portion of the heating element may also be accomplished by having a hook or latch at the top edge of the headlap of the roofing shingle or by an extended tab or tongue where a fastener is allowed to penetrate through. A hook, latch, tab or tongue like tab may be part of the heating element composition or added as a separate feature to the heating element.

Embodiments of the hook, latch, tab or tongue like tab may be part of the heating element composition or added as a separate feature to the heating element and may also be used as an alignment or positioning feature for alignment onto the roofing shingle in a predetermined or specific location by hooking or setting onto the top edge of the roofing shingle such as with a ninety degree or L-shaped bend or folded over and around the top edge of a roofing shingle.

Embodiments of the secondary nail zone attachment or receptor zone to the heating element may be accomplished by adhesive or mechanical means or combination of both means so as to either pre-attach or post-attach material to the primary heating element material.

The adhesive previously mentioned may have or utilize a removable release film that can be peeled off when desired for application. The nail zone or receptor zone location may be indicated or defined by printed wording, may be a unique or bright color, may be a single line of pre-determined width, may be two or more lines so as provide a bordered fastening location of pre-determined width, may have specific marked or printed locations such as one or more indicators such as an “X” or a filled circle or other open or filled geometric shape, a ringed bull's eye, a dot or even the words “nail here”.

In some embodiments, there may be one or more receptor or fastening zones located such that when the radiant heating element is attached, to a roofing shingle, secondary fasteners from other applied roofing shingles in the same shingle array will not penetrate the electrical portion of the radiant heating element.

There may be an indicated roofing shingle receptor zone on the roofing shingle to accommodate the radiant heating element and/or fastener zone. The roofing shingle receptor zone may be accomplished by reducing the thickness in the pre-determined area of placement by utilizing lesser sized smaller mineral matter than in adjacent surface area material such as finer granules, sand, finer slag, talc and the like. The roofing shingle receptor zone may be accomplished by reducing the thickness in the pre-determined area of placement by utilizing a plastic film, polyester, polymer film, copolymer, metalized film or fabric or reinforced fiberglass, fiber, fiberglass, scrim in relation to an adjacent surface area material.

In addition to mechanical fastening through a nail zone or receptor zone, a self adhering portion on either the top portion may contact the shingle immediately above or a backside self adhering portion of the heating element that would contact the shingle immediately below it or, may be a combination of both a top and bottom portions of the radiant heating element.

Embodiments of a self adhesive radiant heating element may be used for outdoor applications. The heating element may have an adhesive backing that allows for conveniently adhering or attaching a flexible heating element in place prior to applying a material over the top of the surface thereof or between or within a composition of layers making up a system. A portion of the heating element may have a pre-applied sealant or adhesive so as to bond or adhere to the shingle portion immediately overlying above upon contact with and typically accelerated with temperature.

The non-adhered mechanically fastened or self adhering radiant heating element may be attached to a roofing shingle is located above a traditional roofing underlayment or saturated felt or fiberglass-felt hybrid, or synthetic underlayment or an ice and water shield product. It may be associated with roofing shingles used in a field or roof deck area and where roofing shingles are used in a Closed-Cut, Alternate Closed-Cut or Woven valley application or end close to, on or in proximity to an open valley. The non-adhered and mechanically fastened or self adhering radiant heating underlayment or accessory attached to a roofing shingle may be located directly against the roof decking without an underlayment of any kind. Examples of the non-adhered and mechanically fastened or self adhering radiant heating underlayment or accessory attached to a roofing shingle may belocated directly against the roof decking with a roofing underlayment of any kind either asphalt saturated or synthetic.

The non-adhered or self-adhering radiant heating element or accessory attached to a roofing shingle may be located directly above a fire-retardant membrane such as Versa-Shield produced by GAF or similar product produced by Atlas Corporation or CertainTeed Empire Base Sheet or any like material. The non-adhered or self adhering radiant heating element or accessory may have one or more radiant heating elements or strips separate but in parallel to each other within the same configuration or entity. In other examples, the non-adhered or self adhering radiant heating element or accessory may have one or more radiant heating elements or strips separate but in parallel to each other within the same configuration or entity and is separate and on both sides of a valley centerline.

In still other versions, the non-adhered or self adhering radiant heating element or accessory may have one or more radiant heating elements or strips separate but in parallel to each other. There may be a pre-determined space generally centered on the entity of the radiant heating element piece to allow conformance and bending to the valley centerline such as with a Woven Valley Application. The roofing material applied in towards the valley may have fasteners placed at a fixed distance outward of the valley centerline so as not to penetrate the electrical portion of the radiant heating element. Typical fastener placement for roofing material in a valley is 6″ outward of the valley centerline. This distance can also be pre-determined to a greater distance as needed and hand sealing of roofing material near the valley is accommodated.

Note that not all of the activities described above in the general description or the examples are required, that a portion of a specific activity may not be required, and that one or more further activities may be performed in addition to those described. Still further, the order in which activities are listed is not necessarily the order in which they are performed.

Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any feature(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature of any or all the claims.

The specification and illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of the various embodiments. The specification and illustrations are not intended to serve as an exhaustive and comprehensive description of all of the elements and features of apparatus and systems that use the structures or methods described herein. Separate embodiments may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment, and conversely, various features that are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any subcombination. Further, reference to values stated in ranges includes each and every value within that range. Many other embodiments may be apparent to skilled artisans only after reading this specification. Other embodiments may be used and derived from the disclosure, such that a structural substitution, logical substitution, or another change may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the disclosure is to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A roofing product, comprising: a substrate having an exposure zone that is configured to be visible and a headlap adjacent the visible exposure zone, the headlap being configured to be non-visible; and a heater mounted on or in the headlap.
 2. The roofing product of claim 1, wherein the heater is configured to be located on or near an eave of a roof, or in or near an intersection of two portions of the roof.
 3. The roofing product of claim 1, wherein the heater is on a top side of or underneath the headlap.
 4. The roofing product of claim 1, wherein the headlap comprises a fastening zone, and the heater is located on or in the fastening zone. 5.-13. (canceled)
 14. The roofing product of claim 1, wherein the heater is adapted to roll over a top or a bottom of the headlap and to cross a width of the headlap.
 15. (canceled)
 16. The roofing product of claim 1, wherein the heater comprises an attachment portion configured to receive a fastener therethrough. 17.-21. (canceled)
 22. The roofing product of claim 16, wherein the attachment portion comprises a plurality of attachment portions. 23.-24. (canceled)
 25. The roofing product of claim 16, wherein the attachment portion has a thickness Tap, and the headlap has a thickness Th>Tap. 26.-33. (canceled)
 34. The roofing product of claim 1, wherein at least one of the substrate and the heater comprises a polyester, a polyamide, a polyimide, a polyether ether ketone, a polysulfone or any combination thereof. 35.-39. (canceled)
 40. The roofing product of claim 1, wherein the heater has a length in a range of approximately 2 meters to approximately 5 meters. 41.-42. (canceled)
 43. The roofing product of claim 1, wherein at least one of the substrate and the heater includes trimmable printed indicia.
 44. A method of installing a roof on a structure, comprising: providing a roofing product having a substrate with a headlap, an exposure zone and a heater located only on or in the headlap; and installing the roofing product adjacent an eave of the roof.
 45. The method of claim 44, wherein installing is performed such that the roofing product extends from the eave to a second point which, from a top view, is over an interior of the structure. 46.-58. (canceled)
 59. The method of claim 44, wherein the heater is shared between two or more roofing products. 60.-63. (canceled)
 64. The method of claim 44, wherein the heater comprises an attachment portion, and further comprising receiving a fastener through the attachment portion. 65.-72. (canceled)
 73. The method of claim 64, wherein the attachment portion has a thickness Tap, and the headlap has a thickness Th>Tap. 74.-80. (canceled)
 81. The method of claim 64, wherein the attachment portion comprises a printed word, a color, a single line of pre-determined width, two or more lines providing a bordered fastening zone of pre-determined width, a marked or printed location, an indicator, a filled circle, an open or filled geometric shape, a ringed bull's eye, a dot or any combination thereof. 82.-87. (canceled)
 88. The method of claim 44, wherein the heater has a length in a range of approximately 2 meters to approximately 5 meters, approximately 0.9 meters to approximately 5 meters, or approximately 3 meters to approximately 4 meters. 89.-129. (canceled)
 130. A method of installing roofing products, comprising: installing a first course of the roofing products on a roof deck of a roof, each roofing product having a headlap and an exposure zone adjacent the headlap; then installing a heater on the headlap of at least one of the roofing products of the first course; and then installing a second course of the roofing products on the first course such that the heater is located beneath the second course.
 131. (canceled)
 132. The method of claim 130, wherein installing is performed such that the roofing product extends from the eave to a second point which, from a top view, is over an interior of a structure having the roof. 133.-135. (canceled)
 136. The method of claim 130, wherein the exposure zone is visible and the headlap is non-visible, and the heater is installed on the eave of the roof. 137.-148. (canceled)
 149. The method of claim 130, wherein the heater comprises an attachment portion, and further comprising receiving fasteners through the attachment portion. 150.-157. (canceled)
 158. The method of claim 149, wherein the attachment portion has a thickness Tap, and the headlap has a thickness Th>Tap. 159.-172. (canceled) 